


Love Lives On

by LinkishImp (kanna37)



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Post-Skyward Sword, Pre-Skyward Sword
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:01:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29947614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanna37/pseuds/LinkishImp
Summary: Some things never change.  Love is one of them - if it's real.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	Love Lives On

**Author's Note:**

> Begins Pre-Skyward Sword, taken from the manga in the back of the Hyrule Historia, and goes into Post-Skyward Sword.

**Love Lives On**

**~oOo~**

Lips tightening with frustrated rage, grief, and exhaustion, Link stared out at the horizon – a horizon that was filled with thick black smoke. That the smell of burning flesh was perfectly clear within the roiling miasma even from this distance was beyond horrifying, and even his four years imprisonment in a cold, filthy dungeon hadn't prepared him for this.

He clenched his fists, absently flexing them, and moved to take a seat on a small rock by the side of the little footpath he'd been following. He'd needed to get away from all the people, frantic and panicky as they were, and find a little space where he could hear himself think. This little dell had immediately come to mind, a favorite get-away from his youth - but so had the realization that it would be gone soon, as the demons were only about two days' march away. They had come pouring across the borders of the kingdom yesterday, and they were killing and burning everything as they came. They were a scourge on his beloved homeland, and he was angry enough that he was actually having to _force_ himself not to go off on his own and have it out with the demon king here and now.

He grimaced, then; Goddess Hylia had expressly forbidden him from haring off after the bastard, or he might just have done it anyway.

Yes, he knew it was a foolish move, but his home was being razed by the plague of evil that had assaulted its until now pristine flesh, and the pain it was causing was a very real force just under his skin. He could _feel_ the demons, their hatred and black hearts, vile and poisonous to everything they came into contact with, burning into his very soul and trying to frighten him away, to make him give up, buckle under the fear of it all, and run.

But he would never do that. As the now de-facto leader of Hylia's army, he would be in the forefront when battle finally came, even ahead of the vanguard. And he was not stupid. He was not going to survive this war. He would die in the next few days, but by the goddess he would _not_ yield until his home and people were safe. Then, he could let go and finally sleep, as he'd still thought he would mere days ago, chained up for a crime he hadn't even committed. His eyes lowered from the horizon, then, and turned inward.

That was another thing. The goddess.

Link was not a pretentious person, he never had been, despite his handsome face and form. He was quiet though committed, fiery in life and in battle, giving his service to his homeland without question. But of everything that he had been faced with in his lifetime – and there was much to that tale, short as his life had truly been - She was the one thing he actually _feared_ _._ There was just something about Her that reached inside him and grabbed at his heart, holding it in a firm, almost painful grasp. He was very much terrified that She was able to make him feel so much, just by being in Her presence.

What was he supposed to do with it all, now that he was locked into his fate? This war _would_ mean his death, there was no question in his mind. That didn't mean he didn't wish it could be different. Especially now. It was so hard to hide his reactions to Her, and in the end that was _really_ why he was out here – to get away from _Her_ , so he could try to catch his breath. And-

_Dammit. How does She keep sneaking into my thoughts?_

Link sighed, shifting restlessly, absently rubbing at an old injury to his shoulder that had never had a chance to heal right. It ached constantly, and he ran a hand over his eyes tiredly on the return. Out here, alone and hidden from his people and the goddess, he could drop the Hero persona and just be himself - _Link_ , a tired, sad young man on the verge of death, garbed in a youth that would never have the chance to flower. He gave a thought to the life he'd never have - marriage, children, slowly getting old with your partner as you watch your children grow and move on into their own lives. He'd never really considered it until now... everything he stood to lose upon his death.

It hurt, he couldn't deny that, as a hand moved up to cover his heart in silent reaction. But his lands and people needed him now, and Hylia had _greatly_ honored him when She had bestowed the Master Sword upon him and chosen him as Her champion, even in the poor state he was in after his long confinement.

“Do you fear death, Link?” the soft, silverine voice of the goddess whispered to him through his memories. She'd asked him that, but somehow, he had the feeling She'd already known what his answer would be.

_Well, She_ _ is _ _a goddess, She probably did know._

_And dammit, again, I turn right back to thoughts of Her._ Frustration mounting with the swirl of awe, devotion, adoration, longing, and everything else she somehow made him feel kicking up inside him, he exhaled loudly and shifted his shoulders again, before letting them sink in heavy despair.

_How did She make me feel all this in such a short time? It's only been a few days... goddesses, it really has only been a few days._

_A few days that feel like a lifetime_ , something inside him whispered back, and he huffed a dead-sounding chuckle. _A lifetime, or even more._ _But despite all that, I can't find it in myself to regret meeting Her..._

_What is it about Her that keeps drawing at me? As my goddess, Hylian as I am, I feel reverence for Her, deeply honored that She even spoke to me, let alone descended from the Sacred Realm to fight the demons Herself, alongside us all. She did not have to place Herself in such danger; if She'd withdrawn from us and cut our ties, She would have been safe. But She truly loves Her chosen people, that much is clear... and that... well, that I understand, because I love our people and my homeland just as greatly._

Shifting tiredly once more, he stared through bleary eyes at the red-smudged, smoky horizon and breathed in the ash-tainted air with a grimace. He flexed and tried to stretch his muscles to ease his worsening discomfort, but it didn't really help, and he knew he'd probably need a sleeping draught if he were to get any sleep before the battle was finally joined. Beyond that, he'd soon be getting plenty of rest, so there was no point in worrying about any further weariness.

_It's not the first time you've gone days with little to no sleep, right? What's one more time going to cost you?_

He couldn't seem to stop the thought that followed, however, that maybe he _didn't_ want that sleeping draught. He only had a few days left to spend in Her presence before he would be inevitably drawn away into death and never see Her again. The idea was undeniably painful, and filled him with a desperate desire to run back to the castle and clutch at Her presence like a dying man. (Which was, actually, an accurate accounting. He _was_ a dying man...)

He groaned. _And again! What is this? Why can't I get away from Her, even inside my own mind? Every time I see or hear Her, it's like a knot unraveling inside me and leaving me barely able to breathe. Oh, ye goddesses...._ _please,_ _please_ _be merciful to this lowly one and let Her be left in the dark to this. I don't think I could stand it if She knew._ _Surely_ _this isn't how one should feel about a_ _goddess! About_ _their_ _goddess!_

“If She knew, She'd turn from me in disgust, take Her sword back, and give it to someone actually _worthy_ \- not some crazy, twisted bastard like me,” he murmured, lost in his thoughts and not really paying attention to anything outside them anymore. _If these were different times, and She a human woman, I... I would want to court Her, to wed Her. But She's not, and-_

“ _And when this_ _becomes_ _a different time, I will accept,”_ came a whisper upon the wind, but it was Her voice, Link knew it as well as he knew his own, even though he'd never heard it until a few days ago. His heart fully stopped, then, and he froze, as everything around him went preternaturally silent and still.

_Wait... what?_

Then he growled at himself, and sound filtered back into the clearing. “Wonderful. I've finally lost my mind. And it couldn't have picked a better time. So much for _luck,_ ” he muttered disgustedly, completely convinced that he was simply hearing things.

Well, he _was_... but he wasn't crazy, as he'd begun to question after that. He was just disbelieving – and then his eyes widened with awe and a deep, abiding reverence he simply couldn't help or hide as soft light gathered in front of him, finally coalescing into the very goddess he'd basically been hiding from.

He froze, filled with an almost desperate fear and a desire to _run_ – and it was the hardest thing he'd ever done to just hold himself still, to stay, and not try to hide from Her again. (Not that hiding had done him much good to this point, because She'd apparently known right were he was, but the thought was there...) He had not had much human contact for the last years what with his imprisonment, and even before that, he hadn't had any meaningful interactions with the feminine side of the human species as a knight, so he really _was_ out of his depth. He very literally had _no idea_ what to do here, what she expected or wanted from him.

And she was so small, there in front of him. He almost felt like a lumbering ox whenever she was near, which was a rather new feeling for him. He wasn't the biggest Hylian around by a long shot, but she was quite dainty. That did not, however, diminish the aura of authority that surrounded her in any way, much as the glow of her divinity did. And it only made her already incredible perfection even more haunting; he knew, somehow, that even death would not be able to take these memories from him.

He _would_ remember her, even in death, he knew it without any doubt.

It was small comfort, but he was grasping at any he could find in these, his final days of existence – though he'd had precious little comfort of _any_ kind for most of his life, anyway.

 _Her eyes,_ the enraptured Hero mused hazily, trapped in a gaze the color of light-pierced morning skies and unable to look away, _they're glowing, too, but in a different way..._

_With... love...?_

Link couldn't help the horrible fear that began eating at him the longer She held his gaze; what _was_ he supposed to say here? To do? _Had he truly heard what he'd thought, interpreted that look in Her eyes correctly?_ Was he supposed to acknowledge it, ignore it, deny it, accept it? What did one do in such a position? What did _She_ want him to do? To say?

“ _Be yourself, Link, and speak your heart,”_ she whispered into his mind. _“Be Link, because it is_ _Link_ _that gives our people the only chance for survival that they have.”_

“Be Link,” she finally said aloud, and it was that same light-filled voice he'd been hearing since she had descended from the Sacred Realm to defend her lands and people, “because it is Link that I, Hylia, loves. Be _always_ and _only_ Link,” she stepped toward the Hero and gently settled a slim hand against his chest, right over his heart, “for I could not now bear a world that did not include you in it.”

A breeze shifted through the frozen tableau, stirring fine golden locks seemingly made of newly-born sunlight against a perfect cheek, and the Hero watched it with fascination for a moment as he tried to catch his breath – the breath She'd stolen from him in the instant that She'd touched him.

“But I'm going to die,” he blurted suddenly, his once-silent mind now going into overdrive and screaming at him. _I'm going to die, so the world won't include me in it anymore... She_ _cannot_ _have forgotten this._

He immediately wanted to take the words back when pain washed across Her face, darkening Her eyes with sadness – but also, surprisingly, determination. He wasn't certain what that was in relation to, but it was definitely there.

“Death is not the end of life, just one more step in it, a step forward into a _different_ world than this one – but it is a world that is even more real, Link. And we _will_ meet again, I promise you this on my very divinity. Then, when you ask for my hand, I will give it to you, for you are my eternal consort, the consort of my heart, and I will have no other.”

Thunk.

“Ow!” Link growled, putting a hand up to his head where he'd hit it and feeling a slight but noticeable lump – which was, unfortunately, most definitely tender. “Damn it!”

He lay half on the ground and half on his bunk, restless limbs stuck in his twisted blankets, trying to figure out how he'd ended up where he currently was. The last thing he remembered, he'd been nicely curled up on his bed and drifting off to what he had _hoped_ would be a better sleep than he'd had since Zelda had been kidnapped and he'd gone after her. He hadn't really rested well since it had happened, the constant worry and fear for his best friend eating at his sanity and allowing him little downtime or sleep.

The best friend he happened to be in love with – though she didn't seem to know it.

After a moment he let his arm fall across his chest tiredly and simply lay back on the floor. From there, he went back to trying to remember what he'd been dreaming about that had caused him to be so shocked as to fall off his be-

_Sweet Hylia!_

He sat bolt upright, no longer aware of his surroundings, not noticing the dizziness from sitting up so fast, or the discomfort of his still blanket-pinioned lower limbs.

 _That dream! It was so real!_ Now that he'd remembered, he was instantly transported back to the scene – it had been so very vivid _,_ almost more than his current surroundings. It left him with a very surreal feeling, and for a few moments, he wondered whether _this_ life was the dream, and that the real one.

But that worry only lasted for a few instants of time; when his head throbbed painfully again, it served to center him on his bedroom once more, and the other world began to fade.

Only a little, however. It was still a bright picture inside his mind, clear as crystal, as though it were an actual event, something that had truly taken place somehow, though it did not connect to his life, _had_ never happened.

At least, not in _this_ lifetime.

Link blew out a heavy breath at the thought, because he'd recently learned who he was, who he'd once been, and that this was _not_ the first time he had lived.

According to the things he'd found out over the course of the goddess' mission, it would not be his last, either – and that dream had underlined that quite clearly. So... was that _really_ just a dream... or was it an actual memory? After mulling it over for a little while, he was seriously beginning to wonder – it was too strong, too bright, sharp and _clear_ in his mind even now _._ The pain he'd been in, emotionally and physically, had been much too real – he could still feel the jagged agony and the weakness in his tortured former mind and body.

It _had_ happened, in that other lifetime that he'd lived, it had to have. But then, if it _were_ an actual event, why hadn't Zelda said anything about it in the time since he'd freed her and defeated Demise?

But perhaps she had not remembered that encounter. Her memories of her life as Hylia were still watery and unclear to her, as she'd confessed to him one night while talking about some of their experiences since they'd been separated. So it was very possible that, even if that really _were_ a memory and not just a wistful dream, she simply had not remembered.

A hot flush swept up his neck and face as the _rest_ of that encounter played mockingly through his suddenly way too fevered mind – and then he _knew_. Knew that had _not_ just been a dream, because in his current life he'd had no intimate experiences for his imagination to draw those very explicit pictures _from._

Hell, he'd never even kissed anyone, since the only girl he was interested in was Zelda, and while he'd been in love with his best friend for a long time (since he'd met her) he'd never told the bright girl how he felt. He was afraid that she wouldn't feel the same, and then he'd lose her _twice_ over – as a friend, _and_ a possible mate. He couldn't even contemplate a life without her, and so he'd kept his mouth shut. He could _not_ lose her.

Now, however, it appeared that maybe he wouldn't have to. If that _dream_ were _not,_ then she returned his affections... or at least, she had back then. A surge of panic hit with the thought that maybe she'd changed her mind? It had been thousands of years since and he was far lifetimes away from who he had been then, and perhaps she could only see him in _this_ form as a friend and nothing more. Her best friend, her closest, yes, but still only a friend.

_No. Do not be foolish, Link. The heart of a goddess does not change, because it will not. Whatever lifetime you find yourself in at any given moment, know that I am there somewhere, as Zelda, and that you are still my chosen consort. That also cannot change – the bond we forged between us then is as unbreakable as our wills. _

Well, whatever Zelda had or had not remembered consciously, she was quite obviously still fully Hylia inside somewhere, because that had been Her voice... again. It had been faint but firm despite that – and _real._ So it appeared that her soul, the soul of the goddess, was still firmly in control of her subconscious and aware of what was happening in her current life – and that she _could_ intervene in events if she felt it was needed.

Apparently, she had, and so she had acted to touch his mind and calm his very real fears, and it had worked - a little _too_ well, he sighed wryly to himself as those memories teased his mind, and worse, his body. He wouldn't be getting a repeat of his first (and only) experience with intimacy anytime soon, however, because whether he was her … her _consort_ or not, in _this_ lifetime they had not – yet - wed, and her father would expect him to marry her according to their laws before anything of _that_ sort happened... again.

He sighed softly, the sound a little melancholy, as it always was whenever he remembered some bit or other of his first life. The memories weren't great, frankly, the one and only bright spot in that life had been that encounter with his goddess, so he didn't really like thinking about that time too much.

After a moment more, he decided that he should probably get up off the floor, which he was still laying (mostly) on, because if he just fell back to sleep laying as he was, he wouldn't be getting up in the morning... or more probably what would amount to _several_ mornings as his body punished him for it.

 _Seventeen and seventy_ , he thought as he somehow managed to drag himself back into his bed, already smarting from the position he'd been in and head throbbing. His adventures and the injuries he'd suffered through them had aged him, in more ways than one.

But it had been for Zelda, so he certainly didn't begrudge them – the scars left behind were merely the proof that when he'd vowed to protect her, to save her and bring her home, he'd meant it - and had followed through. He was proud of that fact, _proud_ of the scars, so the occasional aches and pains from them were easy enough to ignore.

Other things, however, were not so easy to turn a blind eye to – such as what he was going to _do_ about the revelations he'd had this night.

Well, not so much _what_ he was going to do – obviously he was going to confess to his best friend, the best friend that apparently _had_ known that he loved her, at least somewhere inside.

The question now was how.

And boy, was it ever a good one – because he had absolutely _no idea_ how to bring this subject up with Zelda _at all._

 _Maybe she'll just remember? That would certainly be for the best, because if I have to explain to her about our... um, night together back then –_ merely the reminder had him flushing hotly again – _she'll probably smack me into next week for being indecent._

He sighed. _Why couldn't She have just_ _told_ _me whether She had_ _consciously_ _remembered about that night or not when She scolded me a few minutes ago?_

**~oOo~**

“Alright, that's it! Start talking, Link,” Zelda warned exasperatedly, “or I won't be responsible for my actions. You've been acting really strange since we got back to Skyloft. Just _what_ is going on inside that head of yours?” she finally finished, hands on her hips, foot tapping, and a thoroughly militant look in her eyes that told the young Hero that his time was up, and now he'd have to come out with what had been eating at him for the last two days.

The bad side was, he still had _no idea_ how to go about it, and even now his mind was racing, desperately trying to figure out a way through the minefield Zelda had just introduced.

One thing he hadn't expected, when he'd greeted the morning after all those revelations, was his _reaction_ on seeing her in their aftermath. The minute she'd showed up at his room to haul him off to breakfast, he'd flushed the deepest red he probably ever had, and immediately started stammering – because _those images_ from their one and only intimate interaction in their past lives were _right there,_ and it didn't even matter that she looked somewhat different as Zelda than she had as Hylia. Her coloring was mostly the same though her features were different – but it didn't matter, because he was very much aware that she was one and the same person, and it was _her_ that he loved, the different lifetime and form not hindering that knowledge at all.

And he'd been nearly as much a mess since, whenever she was with him, which was pretty much all day, since they were back to the way things had been before the goddess' mission. He didn't want that to change, but those pictures in his mind wouldn't let him alone... and he was also still a very awkward teenager in many ways at just seventeen.

Her stare was _not_ getting any friendlier, so he cleared his throat, flushing redly once again, and opened his mouth, mind blank. He had no idea what was even going to come out at this point, but better to get it out there than to continue stalling, because Zelda wasn't going to let this go.

“You... y-you told me that your memories about your life as Hylia were not really very clear, before,” he hedged, feeling his way slowly through the danger zone, “have you, you know, remembered any more about it?” He hadn't realized it would come out as a question, but he was going to go with it, because Zelda wasn't glaring at him anymore, instead looking a little confused, uncertain of what he might be getting at.

“I... don't know what you're asking me, Link. What _exactly_ is it that you want to know about? You know you can ask me anything – or you _should_ by now.”

“I know, I know,” he began, “but, this is, it's really, well – it's... damn it, it's just, it's not that easy!” he threw his hands in the air, frustrated and embarrassed. “I've tried to bring it up several times, but I just can't get the words out – can't _find_ the words in the first place, actually!”

Zelda blinked several times, rather taken aback at his outburst and the upset state it showed he was in, but then her gaze narrowed and turned calculating, instead, and Link shivered in reaction as she eyed him that way for several _very_ long seconds.

This was getting discussed, there was not going to be any getting out of it. Resignation settled over him, and he exhaled deeply, his shoulders dropping.

He was taken by surprise, however, when instead of renewing her demand for him to start explaining, she reached over and took his hand before turning and tugging him after her.

“We should probably go somewhere a little.... _quieter,_ ” she said, glancing back over her shoulder at him. “Come on.” Her eyes were serious and soft now, no longer exasperated or frustrated, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

_Well, I managed to keep from getting smacked, in public, anyway. Hopefully, I can keep it that way in private, too._

Having expected Zelda to head for the academy and one of their rooms, Link was surprised again when she drew him towards one of the many platforms around the island from which to leap and call for their loftwings, instead.

When they reached one and she let go his hand, he paused, and when she looked back at him questioningly, he asked, “Where are we going?” uncertainly.

“To the surface,” she replied. “I don't want anyone to interrupt us. We... have some things we need to talk about, _personal,_ private things.”

“Oh.” The still-blushing Hero nodded, though he couldn't _quite_ meet Zelda's eyes. _Maybe she_ _does_ _remember... I can't think of anything else she'd want to be so private about, anyway._ “Um, yeah, I guess so.”

Apparently, something about his expression was at least mildly amusing to her, because a faint smile touched her lips for a moment as she looked at him, and when he managed to finally meet her eyes, she was looking at him with a fond light, which only made him blush harder.

She shook her head at him, still with that faint smile, and said, “Just follow me – there's someplace I want to take you.”

He blinked, surprised again, then nodded wordlessly and did as she'd asked, following her off the dock and into the air, then directing his loftwing after hers when they'd been swooped up by their birds.

With the protective cloud layer between Skyloft and the surface now gone, the trip was easier and faster, and before long they were nearing the goddess statue's new – and _former –_ resting place. Link assumed they were simply going to land somewhere in the area of the temple, but instead, Zelda's loftwing veered off to an area that he hadn't been before, and now _very_ curious to see where they were going, he followed swiftly after her.

He studied the ground as they flew over it, and within a minute or two, Link began catching sight of minor little ruins here and there, with what looked like what was left of an ancient road.

 _All of this is what used to be the Land of Hylia, the hereditary home of all Hylians._ There was a pulse of sadness that ran through him, then – a bittersweet feeling that welled up from within the young hero, and he knew exactly what it was, too.

His soul _recognized_ this land – and Link realized then that he loved this place... that he _still_ loved his ancestral homeland, and that he always would. After a moment, however, he set all that aside to think over another time, and smiled for Zelda when she looked back at him over her shoulder. He didn't want to start their talk on any melancholy note, so he was happy when she smiled back at him and then beckoned with her hand as she directed her loftwing to an easy landing point. He followed her down, his own bird not needing any guidance from him to join Zelda's as it settled to the ground with a graceful flare of its wings.

As soon as they landed the young woman was off, and Link hopped quickly down, as well, still wondering where she was taking him as their birds took flight once more, wandering away until their partners called for them again.

“So... where exactly are we going?” he asked softly.

But she just shook her head at him, though with a bit of pink in her cheeks she couldn't quite hide. “You'll see,” was all she said, even as she reached over and once again took his hand.

With an inward shrug, Link resigned himself to waiting to find out what was going on until they reached wherever it was she was so determined to go, and simply looked around with interest as they walked, still hand in hand.

What had been open space began to see more and more trees, and soon they were walking through a small forest. He could hear the sound of running water somewhere ahead, as well as the calls and cries of the birds and animals that lived within its pleasantly shaded environs. A tension he hadn't even realized was still riding him deep within eased, soothed by the peacefulness of the place.

That calm lasted for all of about five seconds when Zelda led him into a small, semi-clear space that he _instantly_ recognized, despite the relatively minor changes to it since he'd last stood here so long ago. His face burst into flames this time, and there was no way his guide could miss it with as brightly lit as the little dell was. No, he certainly wasn't feeling peaceful any longer - _panicked_ was much better a term as she came to a slow halt and let his hand go, then turned to look at him.

Apparently he looked pretty funny, because even with the seriousness of the situation, the girl couldn't help the little giggle that escaped her at sight of his flaming face, which fact _didn't_ help the faltering hero in any way.

 _Goddesses, please let me sink into the ground now,_ he begged in desperation – but of course there was no such mercy, and he stayed right where he was.

However, after a few seconds passed by in silence, Link flicked his eyes up to look her in hers, and noticed that she was also blushing, though not quite as hotly as he was. _Wait... if she brought me here, and she's blushing, too... she has to remember! That means I don't have to try to bring it up!_

That helped, actually, and Link was finally able to beat back his embarrassment at least a few degrees. As his hot flush subsided somewhat, he realized that he was still staring into her eyes – and that she was staring right back, as if just as enraptured in him as he was in her. He thought back to what Hylia had said to him the other night in his room – that in the here-and-now she, as Zelda, still loved him, and realized, _Maybe she is, then._ He couldn't help the thump his heart gave with that hope.

The sound of her clearing her throat brought him back to reality a moment later, and he blinked before shaking himself out of his preoccupation.

“I take it from your face that you, um, recognize where we are?”

Link pursed his lips as he thought about how to answer that. Had Zelda actually remembered _all_ of what had taken place here several thousand years ago, or just part of it?

“Ye-e-es?” he finally drawled hesitantly, still trying to figure out exactly what answer she was wanting from him even as he gave it.

She flashed another quick smile at his tentative answer before her face went serious again, and she looked away before returning to mesh her gaze with his. “This... might take a little while.”

 _Oh, boy. Keep it together, stupid,_ he snapped inwardly at himself, frozen where he stood.

The sound of Zelda's sigh broke through his terror. “Link, for goddesses sakes, would you calm down? It's _okay_.”

“It is?”

She gave him some serious side-eye for that one, causing him to drop his gaze. “ _Yes_ , it _is._ I can't believe you're acting like a little boy that just found out about kissing. I mean, really? Perhaps we've never done all those adult things in this life, but it's not as if we haven't _ever.”_ Despite her bold words, however, Zelda was definitely blushing more now.

But that had been what Link had needed to hear, and he let go his tension with an explosive breath of relief now that he knew she did indeed remember... _everything._

“So, uh, well, where do we go from here, then?” he asked softly.

“I told you once, _before_ , that you were my chosen consort,” she began, her eyes serious and somehow ageless in the moment. “That hasn't changed, Link – the bond we forged then will keep us as one forever – though I would never keep you bound with me if you did not want that. _My_ choice has been made, and made for all of time. I love you, I will _always_ love you... now you must decide if you still feel the same for me.”

There was no room for embarrassment here. Zelda had opened herself up to him with all the poise of the goddess she had once been (and as far as he was concerned, still _was_ ), refusing to hide, and he could do no less. With that determination, he searched her eyes for a few seconds, trying to give himself time to formulate an answer that was as simple, heartfelt, and meaningful as hers had been.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak the occasional breeze fell again, and a breathless stillness pervaded the clearing, as all of nature held itself silent to hear his answer – so that _she_ could hear his answer.

“I'm not that good with words, you know that,” he started a little hesitantly, then continued more firmly, “But... what took place here, back then, when you came to me... that's the only good thing that ever happened in that life. If all of the lives that I'll have from here on out are just as terrible, that one bright memory would be enough to sustain me, because I would _give_ my life in every one to know that you were happy, and safe. My heart...” he trailed off for a moment and shook his head, his voice going slightly rough with emotion as he continued, “you _are_ my heart. One lifetime with you, or even a thousand, could never be enough, Zel.”

He stepped forward, then, and took one of her hands, gently lifting it up and kissing the back of it with careful, almost reverent tenderness.

“In that light, with all that's already passed between us,” he breathed against her skin, causing her to shiver as she stared raptly at him, “I ask for your hand, for you are my eternal consort, the consort of my heart, and I will have no other.”

He knew that she would remember what he was referencing as he returned her own words of so long ago to her, but with a slight twist, and he was not disappointed.

Zelda's eyes teared up and her lips trembled as she tried to find her voice, a breath, a thought, _anything._ It took several tries before she was successful, but Link was patient as she worked her way through everything he'd just made her feel – a thousand emotions from two different lifetimes clawing their way up her throat as her heart swelled in her chest. It hurt _._ She wondered, for one blind moment, if she'd be able to contain it all, or if she'd simply fly apart and fade away into eternity, never to be seen again.

It _hurt..._ but some things that hurt were good, and this... was the best of them.

“Link...” a ragged whisper was all that finally escaped, “for you... to be with you I would give everything – I already have. Because even though I wanted to save all of my people, in the end, the truth is that I gave up my divinity _gladly_ because of _you_. And I would do it again, and again, and again. _Yes,_ I will give you my hand, as I promised I would, _before_.”

The hero stepped into her at that, drawing her gently into his embrace, and smiled, a slow, sweet, boyish smile full of wonder... and his next words pierced her heart.

“Then I will stay bound... _with_ you.”

This _man._

He'd caught what she'd said to him earlier.

“ _... though I would never keep you bound with me if you did not want that.”_

This was the most basic truth of Zelda's situation. Whether he remained bound to _her_ or not _,_ she would _always_ be bound by her heart to _him,_ and could never want another.

Hylia was the goddess of time, and her heart, her core, was _eternal._ She would love him forever, as she'd _also_ said to him earlier.

“For how long?” she asked a little wistfully as she clutched at him, as though afraid he'd disappear if she let go.

“I can last as long as you,” he threw the dare out with a cheeky grin, eyes gleaming and bluer than the skies above.

And they did.

_fin_


End file.
